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Buck
American Library Association Recommended Book
Avon Flare Young Adult Novel Competition Winner
Publishers Weekly Cuffie Award Recipient
This anniversary edition of the award-winning novel BUCK includes a never-before published epilogue and a new author foreword.
“... impressively focused and well written ...” — Publishers Weekly
“The stranger Rich Candy finds in his car one August day is a teenage boy from Los Angeles running from his past. When Rich decides to take Buck Dawson home with him, he doesn’t know how his decision will change his life....” — The ALAN Review
“Sometimes, supporting a friend cannot be more important than standing up for what is right.” — Voice of Youth Advocates
“This fascinating and disturbing novel [was] writtten when the author was 17.... This is a subtle story, with no easy explanations or answers. ... a sure hit with fans of S.E. Hinton and Robert Cormier.” — KLIATT
“When I saw BUCK’s spine I pulled it out with a gasp and dropped a handful of other books just to open it up and look into it again … I read this book to pieces when I was a kid.” — Kim Samsin, blogger
Avon Flare Young Adult Novel Competition Winner
Publishers Weekly Cuffie Award Recipient
This anniversary edition of the award-winning novel BUCK includes a never-before published epilogue and a new author foreword.
“... impressively focused and well written ...” — Publishers Weekly
“The stranger Rich Candy finds in his car one August day is a teenage boy from Los Angeles running from his past. When Rich decides to take Buck Dawson home with him, he doesn’t know how his decision will change his life....” — The ALAN Review
“Sometimes, supporting a friend cannot be more important than standing up for what is right.” — Voice of Youth Advocates
“This fascinating and disturbing novel [was] writtten when the author was 17.... This is a subtle story, with no easy explanations or answers. ... a sure hit with fans of S.E. Hinton and Robert Cormier.” — KLIATT
“When I saw BUCK’s spine I pulled it out with a gasp and dropped a handful of other books just to open it up and look into it again … I read this book to pieces when I was a kid.” — Kim Samsin, blogger
244 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1986
6 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
T.S. Vale
9 books79 followers Hi, fellow reader. Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve loved and practiced the art and science of "writing" my entire life. I've published and been recognized for both fiction and non-fiction, commercially and independently.
Another thing I love — no surprise, probably, to most of you who’ve found your way here — is reading. I’m an avid book fan and have been honored to work with, support, and learn from some amazing authors.
Both as a writer and a reader, my top genre love is what I often refer to as speculative fiction — that is, science fiction and fantasy, in all their many variations. My tastes are broad but it’s easy to note post-apocalyptic SF / fantasy, dystopian SF / fantasy, historical fiction, epic SF / fantasy, and technological SF / fantasy as top favorites in those fields.
Manifesting new worlds and telling characters’ stories has been my great and lifelong passion. I’m exceedingly grateful that it’s a passion that has provided some of you out there with some entertainment and even some inspiration. Thanks for letting me know about that: I truly appreciate it. Keep on reading!
I’ve loved and practiced the art and science of "writing" my entire life. I've published and been recognized for both fiction and non-fiction, commercially and independently.
Another thing I love — no surprise, probably, to most of you who’ve found your way here — is reading. I’m an avid book fan and have been honored to work with, support, and learn from some amazing authors.
Both as a writer and a reader, my top genre love is what I often refer to as speculative fiction — that is, science fiction and fantasy, in all their many variations. My tastes are broad but it’s easy to note post-apocalyptic SF / fantasy, dystopian SF / fantasy, historical fiction, epic SF / fantasy, and technological SF / fantasy as top favorites in those fields.
Manifesting new worlds and telling characters’ stories has been my great and lifelong passion. I’m exceedingly grateful that it’s a passion that has provided some of you out there with some entertainment and even some inspiration. Thanks for letting me know about that: I truly appreciate it. Keep on reading!
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 31, 2017
A teenage girl's idea of a teenage boy's feelings about an abusive non-romantic relationship that he doesn't want to leave. The simmering homo-eroticism is severely undercut by the narrator's obvious teenage girl-ness, which is so overwhelming that during the love scenes between "Rich" and Katie, I just went ahead and imagined two girls. Actually that's not just during the love scenes. Pretty much any time "Rich" and Buck weren't beating each other up or explicitly calling each other brothers, I was seeing "Rich" as a bubbly blond cheerleader. I wonder, in fact, if the story wouldn't have been stronger that way. A girl taking in a good looking stray boy she finds in her car is slightly more plausible, and while the author may not be better at portraying female minds and motives than she is male, she couldn't possibly be worse.
Warnings for excessive repetition (this could for real have been half the length), endless ambiguity, and so many reiterations of "jocks", "burnouts", and "socials", that the school sounds like a prison camp where groups mix only on pain of death. But on further reflection I suspect the author merely had a 200 word vocabulary at the time of writing and calling a jock a jock every time he's mentioned jock easier than jock jock different words jock jock him, like hair jock, jock color, height, jock, hobbies, or jock else.
Warnings for excessive repetition (this could for real have been half the length), endless ambiguity, and so many reiterations of "jocks", "burnouts", and "socials", that the school sounds like a prison camp where groups mix only on pain of death. But on further reflection I suspect the author merely had a 200 word vocabulary at the time of writing and calling a jock a jock every time he's mentioned jock easier than jock jock different words jock jock him, like hair jock, jock color, height, jock, hobbies, or jock else.
October 23, 2017
Intense
So totally intense this story pulls you deep into what mind games can do to build and destroy relationships. How scary it is to watch and not understand what to do to help nor want it turned onto yourself. Will always wonder and want to know what happened next.
So totally intense this story pulls you deep into what mind games can do to build and destroy relationships. How scary it is to watch and not understand what to do to help nor want it turned onto yourself. Will always wonder and want to know what happened next.
May 3, 2023
I’m rating it as if I had read it as a teen girl. I was a preteen when it was written but it was definitely a book I would have loved in junior high/high school. It reminded me of the After School Specials from back then.
June 14, 2016
I read this novel back in the 90's when I was in high school. I remember the subject matter was very grown up for a teenage/young adult story. The jealousy/rival between the two main characters and the insecurity and ultimate revenge that resulted were very mature for teens but it was great!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews